by Poppy Jones
The Story of Shearling
Being cold is not an option this Winter. The runway hosted a wardrobe of armour coats designed to protect a man, so he can confidently take on the modern world, in style. A particularly significant style of coat is the Shearling (sheepskin) jacket, a Classic piece of outwear for the Winter. The wearing of sheepskin as a form of protection arose as long ago as the Stone Age, which is fascinating considering it’s making statements on the 2018 fashion runways (almost 2.5 million years later). The coat began on a different kind of runway during the Second World War, which truly cemented the shearling jacket as high fashion when the sheepskin bomber jacket became standard uniform for pilots in the US Air Force.
The historical classic was interpreted by a range of designers and presented on the runway in a host of different styles including; leather, denim, suede and a bomber, all combined with essences of the Shearling. Unsurprisingly, one of the best Shearling coats this season was by Giorgio Armani which contained a mix of brown suede and leather giving the jacket texture and detail and costing $3300. Balenciaga exhibited a modern take of the classic, a black sheepskin jacket as part of the labels AW18 Collection featuring a graffiti shearling collar, leaving you $5,038 down. If that’s too hard to swallow, then ZARA have brought out a range of heavy-duty faux shearling jackets that look good enough for the runway.
205W39NYC by Raf Simons - Calvin Klein X Raf Simons
Raf Simons takes the creative reigns at one of America’s most iconic fashion houses, creating a memorable masterpiece at New York fashion week. The designer presented his Fall 2018 Collection with Calvin Klein through the emergence of models through a sea of popcorn that coated the former American Stock Exchange building, greeting the audience with the aesthetic pleasures of sweet-smelling butter. The collection represents a theme that is consistent to his first season at Calvin Klein, which is Simons personal commentary on America. Firefighter coats, boots and gloves provoked thought of the country’s horrific natural disasters whilst silver foil jackets and boots evoked inspiration from the 60s intergalactic style.
The collection also stars the traditions of Calvin Klein underwear, in keeping with the iconic yet simplistic and gender-neutral style of briefs for men and women. The collection is designed with a standout 205W39NYC logo styling and can be purchased from the Calvin Klein website.
Tom Ford F/W18
Tom Ford brings hyper-masculinity to the run-way treating the audience with an erotic presentation of the new Fall 2018 underwear range. The range consists of four basic styles; a brief, a trunk, a short boxer and a classic boxer. Each cut is available in cotton stretch jersey, cotton, and an extra special version of silk. Of course, these outstanding run-way collections have inspired the streets and the replication of the simplistic designer lingerie is readily available offering a cheaper alternative of the classic cotton jersey pieces perfect for the Winter.
Pinstripes
The pinstripe is perfect for a casual business look and embodies quality and fine male grooming as well as being the backbone of any stylish man’s business wardrobe.
Alexander McQueen explores British masculinity starting with a collection of elegant tailored autumnal pieces. The collection subverts the classic British wardrobe, renewing the codes of tailoring and progresses into opulence as the show goes on. A prominent fabric that stole the show is the use of woolen pinstripes which is modeled as a classic tuxedo, worn with jogging pants for a modern subversion and representation of the evolution of true British menswear.
Hiking Boots
If you are going to make one worth-while investment this Winter, be sure to make it a pair of high quality hiking boots that are adamant to last a life time and keep your toes warm for just as long.
Inspired by the world of hiking, brands such as Gucci and Prada have taken an outdoor classic and given it a cosmopolitan polish using high quality materials and catwalk-ready details. Creating a hybrid of fashion that meets function and a must-have staple for a man’s wardrobe this Winter and many more Winters to come.
For something with equivalent quality at an affordable price, Timberland offer a range of styles of hiking boots inspired by our runway favorites and designed to be just as durable.
